Posted on 02/15/2013 9:07:07 PM PST by KittenClaws
As I walked through the Supermarket today, I passed through the isle that was full of children's toys of all kinds. Little racing cars, coloring books, transformers, Barbie dolls and baby dolls, stuffed bears, plastic airplanes, little ponies, bouncing balls, basketballs and something called slime.
There were several children there, taking full advantage of the bounty as if it were provided for free. One opened a package of baubles that I could not identify while the other drooled on a basketball before throwing it in the general direction of the other child.
And my old mind could not help but drift back to my time as a child going to Dicks Supermarket with my mother.
Back then, the supermarket was a place where mothers bought food for the family. It was not Disneyland - not a place to play. But Dicks Supermarket did have toys! They were on a carousel, at the end of an aisle that was always a great discovery (toys!)
They were all "Chinese toys" little puzzles, backscratchers - junk, mostly. But my brother and I, always respectfully asked our mother, " may we go look at the toys?" She always said we could look, of course.
We were expected to view - not touch. You did not partake of that which you did not own. If we found something we could not live without, we grasped it in our hands and presented it to her for approval, hoping we had behaved well enough to deserve such a treat.
And thus, the point of this vanity.
There is a difference between the toy isle of today and the toy carousel of yesterday. Indeed,, between the children of today and of yesterday.
The carousel of yesterday said " we know you exist, here is a small amusement" and as children, we accepted that - we knew we were children.
The aisle of today says " your existence is important, therefore we must amuse you". The children of today say "damn straight, we are the end all be all, after all".
The parent of yesterday said " if you behave properly, I may buy you a treat. And we did our best to live up to that expectation.
The parent of today says " I do not expect you to behave, go play in the children's aisle and give me a break, break things if need be, but leave me alone." And the children of today...live up to that expectation.
,
When I was a kid there was a store called Gibson’s and it was “big” to us. Right near the front they had a booth selling popcorn and slurpee’s, no joke. The store had some of everything.
I remember their old fashion newspaper ads, all the products hand drawn (or seemigly).
Good points. Things have changed for the worse from yesteryear.
Baloney.
There never was some golden era where everything was perfect. You live in fantasyland as much as the liberals do.
We rode dutifully in the shopping cart or strolling behind close in tow. I remember being big enough to steer the cart and being entrusted to do so at the commissary.(The rear wheel steering could have led me to a career as a forklift operator)
At the end of the ordeal was a chance at some candy or some small toy if we had behaved. I never expected or demanded more.
We had a store in Pecos Texas called Wackers. It had a soda fountain and everything.
There was also a little corner store that sold the first ever slurpees...the old lady that owned it - who was always so good to us kids - disappeared one summer.
(Us kids had been moved out of state, so we were not “up” on all the happenings) anyway, we inquired about her, and found that she had been robbed, and killed, at gunpoint.
In RETROSPECT , I remember that being the moment I grew up. My childhood ended.
Baloney to you. Author is not talking of fantasy land of yesteryear. Rather the difference of kids raised yesteryear as to today.
You know better.
Did I say it was perfect?
NO. I did not. I spoke of a moment in my history.
If you have no such moments, don’t hate me for it.
I yelled at her, and she just glared back at me with a blank look on her face. Guess that's why they still have typhus and every other thing killing them off in the 3rd world. Now our government brings them here for us to pay for.
Things have changed in a way that the present generation can never know or understand. And that is the saddest thing of all.
i don’t see him anywhere saying yesterday was perfect. i believe that’s you reading that into this, not the author.
what i got from the account was the observation that between then and now, things have changed greatly, in general, for the worse.
and i would agree, and i see this change in just about every public place i visit.
Well written and well thought.
Thanks.
There never was some golden era where everything was perfect. You live in fantasyland as much as the liberals do.
Geez. There is always somebody that has to piss in the cornflakes.
And that is the difference right? It lies in what children expect.
The children of today expect that which they have not earned. The children of my era, strived to earn.
Earn respect.
Earn love.
Earn money.
Earn a place in community.
Earned through effort.
Not earned because we, were.............born.
And that is the difference right? It lies in what children expect.
The children of today expect that which they have not earned. The children of my era, strived to earn.
Earn respect.
Earn love.
Earn money.
Earn a place in community.
Earned through effort.
Not earned because we, were.............born.
Did you pull that candy off of the shelf and on to the floor?
Next time, regardless of the looks of ignorance - do so. This is OUR COUNTRY. Dag nabbit!
You know what?
There WAS a golden era.
Sorry you missed it.
Yep.
Nowadays, raising kids you have to cut thru alot of crap interference to deliver that message. My two youngest are 3 years apart and that gap was immense as far as outside influence- phones, TV, internet...
When I was young the outside world couldn’t pump too much into my head outside parental controls.
True story about Gibson’s. I once knew a guy who was in charge of 16 Gibson’s Discount Stores and he told me this story. Gibson’s slogan was “Where you always get the best for less”. My friend said at new store opening events Mr. Gibson always said a prayer. This day his prayer began:
“Lord, we want to thank you for allowing us to open up another Gibson’s, where you always get the best for less.”
By the way, I remember Sam Walton’s first Ben Franklin Five & Dime store in Newport, Arkansas. After chopping or picking cotton all week we’d go to Newport to buy groceries on Saturday afternoon. You could smell the popcorn from the machine in front of his store for blocks.
Oh darling, it is so hard to raise children in this age. But God will give you the tools and strength to do so..
If you are a Christian, and I can not believe otherwise here on FR, then you know as well as I, that your children, brought up in the way they should go, will be a blessing to future generations..!
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